Ammunition-hoisting car



J. P. MEIGS & R. P. STOUT.

AMMUNITION HOISTING CAR. APPLICATION FILED 00111, 1909.

1,105,813; Patented Aug.4,19 14.

4 SHEBTS-SHEBT 1.

THE NORRIS PET ERS CO, PHOTO-LITHO., WASHINGTON. D) E J. F. MBIGS & R.P. STOUT. AMMUNITION HOISTING CAR.

APPLIOATION run) 001;. 11, 1909.

1,105,813.- Patented Aug. 4, 1914 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE. NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, D. C.

J. F. MEIGS & R P. STOUT.

AMMUNITION HOISTING GAR.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.11, 1900. 1, 1 05,8 1 3 Patented Aug. 4, 1914. 4SHEETS-SHEET 3.

rillll'llllfI/l)lllfllllll$llrlflll i THE NORRIS PETERS ca, PHOTO-LITHOwAsHINGi'bNfD. c.

J. F. MEIGS & R. P. STOUT.

AMMUNITION HOISTING GAR.

APPLICATION FILED 001?. 11, 1909.

1,105,813. Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO" PHOTC-LITHQ, WASHINGTON; D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

ASSIGNOBS TO BETHLEHEM STEEL COMPANY, OF SOUTH BETHLEHEM, PENN'SYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

AMMUNITION-HOISTING- CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

Application filed. October 11, 1909. Serial No. 522,197.

To all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that we, JOHN F. Mines and ROBERT P. STOUT, citizens of theUnited States, and residents of South Bethlehem, in the county ofNorthampton and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certaln new anduseful Improvements in Ammunition- Hoisting Cars, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in ammunition hoisting mechanismand more particularly to an improved hoisting car which is adapted tofully inclose the powder charge while the same is being elevated andwhich has certain automatic features in connection with the unloading ofthe charge at the upper station of the hoist.

The invention will be described in detail in the followingspecification, in connection with the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a view of the upper station of a double ammunition hoistshowing two cars in end elevation and showing the casings or wells inwhich the cars run in section; Fig. 2 is a side view of one of the carsshown in Fig. 1, the casing or well being shown in section; Fig. 2* is adetail of one of the guides for the cars; Fig. 3 is an enlarged end viewof one of the cars; Fig. 4; is a sectional view taken on the line 44: ofFig. 6; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the car showing the trays inunloading position; Fig. 6 is an enlarged side view of the car; and Fig.7 is a section on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates the housing surrounding theupper part of the hoist, which housing may, for instance, be the lowerpart of a turret in which the elevating apparatus is supported. Withinand supported by the casing 10 are the hoist wells or casings 11 whichare provided with grooved guide rails 12 which serve to guide the carscentrally in the wells. In Fig. 1 two cars A, B are shown, openingrespectively to the right and left and they are carried and moved bvropes 18 winding on suitable drums 14:, which are driven by suitablemeans, such as the electric motors 15. A description of one of the carswill answer for both.

Referring to Figs. 3 to 7 inclusive, the

car A consists of a rectangular casing 16 open at one side and providedwith at least one end opening 17 through which the proderstood, is toprevent the car from dropping in case the hoisting rope or its operatingmachinery should break.

In the upper portion of the car there is a powder receptacle P which isU-shape in cross section and adapted to receive one or more parcels ofpowder, two being indicated by dotted circles in Fig. 1. The front sideof the receptacle P is sufficiently high to close the receptacle againstthe entrance of sparks or flame when it is in the hoisting position,while the rear wall of the receptacle is lower to permit the receptacleto tip downward into the position shown in Fig. 5, for dischargingpurposes. The powder receptacle is provided with two pins or studs 18,19 at each end and the casing of the car is provided with slots 18", 19in which these pins move, respectively, when the powder receptacle istilted. During the hoistthe position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5,

the slots l8 permitting the receptacle to tilt into this position.During this movement the receptacle turns about the pins 19, which areheld in the grooves 12. Afterthe receptacle has assumed the positionshown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, it tends to tip farther, the center ofgravity of the loaded receptacle being above the pins 18. The guidegrooves 12 have other laterally-curved extensions 12*, Fig. 2 to permitthe pins'19 to swing laterally, and the receptacle pivots upon the pins18 and swings automatically into the position shown in full lines inFig. 5, in which position the powder charge is automatically deliveredfrom the receptacle onto any suitable support.

After the powder is discharged the receptacle P will resumeautomatically the This device need not be de-- dotted position Fig. 5,the center of gravity of the empty receptacle being to the left of orbelow the pin 18, and if the car be then lowered it will beautomatically returned to closed position by the grooves 12 By removingthe block 12 between the curbed Fig. 5. The car is preferably retainedin the closed position by a spring latch 20 and the upper edge of thereceptacle is round so that it will pass the springlatch automati callywhen pressure is applied in either opening or closing. For opening thepowder receptacle when empty, a pivoted handle 21 is provided which hasan arm 22 adapted to .lift the latch 20. By grasping the handle 21 thelatch may be raised and the powder receptacle simultaneously pulled outinto open position.

The ojectile, which is indicated by a broken circle in Fig.4, issupported upon a tray 23 which is slightly concave and which ispivotally attached at 24: to the rear wall of the car. The tray isnormally supported by pairs of toggle links 25, the upper links beingpivoted to the tray 23, while the lower links are fixed on a rock shaft26. The shaft 26 has an arm 27 to which is connected a rod 28 extendingslightly above the top of the car and normally held in its upperposition by a spring 29 (Fig. 3). The spring 29 tends to hold the toggle25 in its normal or sustaining position, as shown in Fig. 4;,in whichthe middle pivots of the links are slightly in the rear of the upper andlower pivots, thus preventing any possibility of accidental collapse ofthe toggles. The links are provided with shoulders 30 which abut whenthey are in the sustaining position and prevent the links from movingbackwardly under the stress of the load on the tray. A suitable spring31, Fig. 1 constantly presses up on the tray 23 and assists in raisingit to its normal position. When the car reaches its upper station, theupper. end of the lever 28 strikes a fixed abutment and the shaft 26 isrocked sufficiently to break the toggles 25 and permit the tray 23 todescend under the weight of the projectile, which is sufficient tocompress the springs 29 and 31. The tray 23 drops until its forward edgerests upon a support 32 and the projectile rolls'oif automatically ontoa shelf or other suitable support 33. When the tray is re,

lieved of the weight of the oroj ectile and the car lowered the springsreturn the tray to its upper position and it is supported in thatposition by the toggles, as heretofore described.

convenience in The bottom 34 of each car is made to fit the well 11quite closely and'the car is of such depth that the bottom does not'reach the discharge opening in the well when the car is in its upperposition. The well is thus closed to prevent fire from beingcommunicated from the turret through the well 11 to the ammunition roombelow. Likewise, the top plate 35 of each car is made to fit the wellclosely and serves to prevent fire from passing to the ammunition roomthe top plate serves to prevent any communicatlon between the ammunltlonroom and the well, orthe turret above the well, while the car is beingloaded.

It will be evident that the details of con when the car is below thedischarge opens struction of our invention may be variously modifiedwithout departing from the spirit and scope thereof and hence we do not.desire to limit ourselves to the precise apparatus herein shown anddescribed.

l/Vhat we claim and desire Letters-Patent is:

to secure 1 by 1. In an ammunition hoist, thecombina tion with a trackor guideway, of a car, a

normally closed tilting powder receptacle on i the car, and means on thepowder receptacle for engaging the track or guideway, the up per part ofsaid track or guideway being constructed to tilt and open the powderreceptacle to discharge the powder therefrom.

2. In an ammunition hoist, the combination with a hoisting car, ofa'tilting powder receptacle thereon, means for closing said receptaclewhen in its normal position on the car to wholly lnclose the powder, andmeans for tilting the receptacle arranged to open the same and dischargethe powder there-.

from.

3. In an ammunition hoist, the combination with a car or casing, of apowder re ceptacle normally mounted therein and havingpivot pinsextending through slots in r the wall of the car or casing, a track or"guideway adapted to engage said pivot pins and tilt the receptacle fromnormal position,

and means for closing the receptacle when in p normal position. I I

4. In an ammunition holst, the combinat1on with a car or casing,

casing, means for closing the. receptacle when 111 one of its positions,a track or g of a powder receptacle pivotally mounted in said car orguideway, and means connected with the the receptacle to and from closedto close and open the same.

5. In an ammunition hoist, the combina t1on Wltllfl car or casing, of apowder receptacle pivotally mounted in said car or casing and providedwith two pivotal centers, said car being adapted to swing successivelyabout said pivotal centers for the purpose'set forth.

6. In an ammunition hoist, the combination with a car or casing, of apowder receptacle pivotally mounted in said car or casing and providedwith two pivotal centers, said car being adapted to swing successivelyabout said pivotal centers for the purpose set forth, one of saidcenters being above the center of gravity of the receptacle when thelatter is empty.

7. In an ammunition hoist, the combination with a track or guideway, ofa car adapted to run thereon and having curved slots in its walls, apowder receptacle pivotally mounted within the car and having two pinsor projections at each end extending through said curved slots, means onthe car normally closing the receptacle, the track being adapted toengage said pins or projections to move said powder receptacle from andto its closing means.

8. In an ammunition hoist, the combination with a car or casing, of apowder receptacle movably mounted in the car or casing, a part in saidcar or casing adapted to close said receptacle in one position thereof,and means at one station of the hoist for moving said receptacle to openthe same as the car approaches its upper station.

9. In an ammunition hoist, the combination with a car or casing, of apowder receptacle movably mounted in the car or casing, a part in saidcar or casing adapted to close said receptacle in one position thereof,and means at one station of the hoist for tilting said receptacle awayfrom its closing means to open the receptacle and discharge itscontents.

10. In an ammunition hoist, the combination with a car, of an.ammunition tray pivotally mounted within the car, a spring tendingnormally to raise the tray to its upper position, toggle links arrangedto sustain the tray in its upper position, a second spring adapted tonormally hold the toggle links in their sustaining position, and meansfor automatically breaking the toggle to permit the tray to drop underthe weight of the projectile whereby the projectile 1s automaticallyunloaded.

In testimony whereof we afix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN F. MEIGS. ROBERT P. STOUT.

Witnesses:

EDWIN A. MILLER, FRANK I. GRIM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O.

